Feeding Tube Diet Fad is an Unhealthy One

Here’s a shocker: miracle diets do not work and are unhealthy. The latest dieting fad, called the “feeding tube diet” is being denounced by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

While most diet fads require some magical concoction or the right combination of food choice, like cutting out bread or meat or only eating with your left hand (that last one is made up), but the “feeding tube” diet takes losing pounds to the next level.

The “feeding tube” diet also goes by the Ketogenic Nutrition, or K-E diet, moniker. Quick weight loss is achieved by a blend of food based on very-low carbohydrate, high-protein and high-fat intake. The diet requires ingesting this formula by inserting a tube through the nose and pumping the formula into the tube for 24 hours a day for 10 days, hence the “feeding tube” part of the diet.

This form of diet is used elsewhere for children with drug-resistant epilepsy. The body thinks it is starving which causes the body to burn fat and spare carbohydrates. The carbs are saved and do not turn into glucose, instead the body changes the fat into acids and ketone bodies which replaces glucose, the ketone bodies go to the brain and act as an energy source for brain function. Higher levels of ketone bodies help reduce the number of epilepsy-related seizures.

Because the K-E diet mimics starvation, weight loss happens quite rapidly but can wreak havoc on the body according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The diet can cause kidney damage and gallstones because of the fast weight loss while not taking into account other factors, be it mental or emotional, that can cause weight gain. A K-E diet website linked to various sites that used the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a source, but the Academy, in this release, does not endorse the K-E diet by any means for quick weight loss.

So, now that the “feeding tube” diet is out of the question, what can you do to lose weight? Unfortunately the answer is a boring one. It’s a lifetime of healthy choices which means regular exercise, being active daily, eating properly and developing a eating plan that is nutritious and promotes healthy food choices. For individuals who want to lose weight, losing a pound or two a week is considered safe and the Academy recommends consulting with a licensed dietician to develop a plan for healthy eating habits.